Andy Zach's Blog: The Unlikely life of Andy Zach - Posts Tagged "fantasy"

Greenwitch by Susan Cooper

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I previously read this book soon after it was published. On a recent trip, I got to listen to the audiobook version.

It holds up very well as an audiobook! The voice actor performed the characters well and the atmospheric dread of impending doom came through well.

For those not familiar with Susan Cooper's Dark Is Rising series, the premise is that history is a series of battles between the Lords of the Light and the Lords of the Dark. Into that is born the last 'Old One', as the Lords of the Light are called. Will Stanton is the seventh son of a seventh son and at eleven comes into his power as an Old One.

Throughout history, various objects of power have been made by the Lords of the Light for use at the final battle with the Dark, which is impending. Will, and then three Drew children, are used to find them.

This is a fine Young Adult series that may well become a five-star series. My standard is that the books must still be selling fifty years after publication. I'll have to come back in 2050 and update my rating. Until then, read this series.



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Greenwitch

Get Your Favorite Science and Fantasy Books from my reviews. I've been busy reading and I try to review every book I read. Here are the very best books I've read this month.

If you want free audiobooks, you can get them here, through my newsletter by clicking here. If you want a free ebook (and laughter!), just contact me here and I'll send you one, Zombie Turkeys, my first novel.

Science Fiction and Fantasy Books - You Begin Here

David Weber once again creates a page-turning series. This one focuses on an invasion of the Earth by an alien species sent from a galactic empire.

The Earth is devastated. Half the population is killed from kinetic bombardments. Will the Earth surrender?

With vastly superior technology, the alien species is confident of conquest. Too bad humanity doesn't know how to surrender.

The plot proceeds somewhat predictably but ends with a surprise twist. Some reviewers hated the twist. I liked it. Maybe I'm twisted?

If you like David Weber's Honor Harrington series or John Ringo's Posleen series, you'll probably like this one

Andy Zach's review on Goodreads and Amazon

Here Comes Your Fantasy Book Review

This was my second reading of 'Song for the Basilisk', the last one was over 20 years ago.

It's even better the second time. I read it more slowly and understood the political machinations and the mysteries the author presented the reader. Patricia McKillip definitely has the 'mystery' + 'fantasy' combination to herself.

The premise is simple. There are four factions contending for rulership of the kingdom. The Basilisk slaughters one that has ruled for hundreds of years. One child escapes to a school for the bards.

The bards are musicians, storytellers, and magicians. But they only come to power by going to the hinterlands, where the magic is.

Meanwhile, the Basilisk rules in peace for 37 years. He has several daughters, one of which grows up learning all his magic.

Ms. McKillip brings all the elements together in a dramatic and surprising novel. It's one of her best and that says a lot.

Review by Andy Zach on Goodreads and Amazon

Your Last Chance to Get My Free AudioBooks

New review for Zombie Turkeys on Audible!

Overall 5 out of 5 stars

Performance 5 out of 5 stars

Story 4 out of 5 stars

Dumb...silly...juvenile...couldn't put it down. Comfort food for that juvenile part of you that never quite outgrew your comic books. Just forget that it's preposterous (after all, you were already warned by the title; what did you expect?), and go with the flow...

Andy 03-20-21 on Audible